Ellen Zavian

Ellen M. Zavian began her career in sports when she was a student at the University of Maryland where she worked in the university’s intramural sports and recreation department while working at the Maryland Racetracks in the promotional department on weekends. While earning her law degree, she interned at the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Soon after graduation, Ms. Zavian became the first female attorney/agent in the NFL. She has represented the U.S. Women’s Soccer, US Women’s Softball and Extreme athletes, collectively, creating the first players associations in each sport (along with the first pregnancy leave clause for the women soccer players). She was the first to hold the title of Commissioner for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (NCAA). Ms. Zavian served as coordinator for the NFLPA’s Native American project; is a nationally recognized journalist, and a court expert in licensing/sports agreements.

She also created the United Breakin Association, a global association for competitive break dancers and was instrumental in getting Breaking into the Olympics Youth2018 and Paris2024 games. She has served on many sports related committees, including the D.C. Bar’s Arts, Entertainment, Media and Sports Section, appointed as the Chair of the eSports Track for the White House & DOE HBCU 2019 Conference, Editor in Chief for eSportsandthe law.com, Faculty Advisor for the GWU Law Sports & Entertainment Law Student Society, appointed as FIFA Pro Bono Counsel, serves as a Board of Trustee for SafeSport International, sits on FIFPRO’s EDI Committee, and co-created the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Sports & Entertainment committee. 

She teaches sports law, negotiations, leadership, and entrepreneurship at The George Washington University School of Business and George Washington School of Law (also coaches the Sport Moot Court Team).  

Zavian has also held numerous high-profile leadership and arbitration roles, including Commissioner for the Maryland Racing Commission, Athlete Counsel for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Olympic matters, a AAA certified arbitrator, panel arbitrator for Sports Resolutions and served as mediator to over 200 chapters at the Autism Society.

In 2022, Zavian became the first General Counsel of USA Lacrosse and is working on moving the 65 year-old organization into NGB status within the USOPC family.

Zavian holds a Juris Doctor from American University, and a B.S. in Business/Management from the University of Maryland.